


like a phoenix

by Romennim



Series: Welcome to the madhouse [3]
Category: Suicide Squad (2016)
Genre: Gen, Rebirth, Team Dynamics, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 10:16:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8397721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Romennim/pseuds/Romennim
Summary: Magic is a headache and sometimes people come back from the dead.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HistoryISculture](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HistoryISculture/gifts).



> written for the prompt "magic" for the The Big Short Challenge on Rough Trade
> 
> betaed by the lovely ladychild

In all the time they have been free, no one has come looking for them and maybe they have all grown a bit complacent. They shouldn’t have. Floyd feels tenser than a violin string and, taking a look around, the others don’t seem to be dealing better: Harley is playing with her favorite knife at the kitchen table, Boomerang is watching the TV on the couch in the living room, trying to hide the fact that he’s clutching his favorite unicorn under his sweatshirt, and Croc is cooking something. Yep, the monster who eats his meat raw likes to cook when stressed, the irony.

As for himself, Floyd tries not to turn towards the door every time he hears a noise and thanks God that Zoe is in her room playing video games, none the wiser.

When Rick finally comes inside, he’s frowning, but it’s not as bad as it could be. Everyone’s attention is on the man, but Rick doesn’t falter under their stares.

“What’s up, F-man?” Harley asks.

“GQ called.” Rick answers immediately, looking at each of them. Floyd remembers the name, Rick’s old subordinate who helped them against the witch. One of the few people on the planet now who Rick trusted to have a way to contact him. “There’s something strange happening where we defeated the witch.”

Floyd tenses immediately. The witch has been one tough bitch to defeat and Floyd doesn’t relish a repeat performance. They don’t often go as well as the first time.

“What?” Croc growls.

“I believe it’s better if we go and take a look. GQ sounded crazy.”

“Crazier than a bitch from another dimension destroying the world with his giant brother?” Floyd asks and Rick just nods, grim.

***

The place is eerily quiet. It’s still abandoned and in ruin. Floyd wouldn’t have stepped into it if not for the Squad. Somehow they all feel like they can’t leave it to others, that they have to be the ones to ensure this mess is done and over with – even if no one thanked them for it.

“Your buddy is lucky he dropped this on our heads.” Boomerang mutters from Rick’s left side and Floyd can’t help but agree when they start to see a strange glowing coming from the room where the witch built her machine.

 _Please, don’t let it be that bitch again,_ Floyd fervently hopes, then peers around a corner, and it takes all his honed control not to hiss aloud in surprise.

Maybe it’s not the witch, but some kind of magic is afoot all right. There’s a huge thing near the spot where Chato lost his life. It’s egg-like, covered in soot and glowing an angry hue of red and orange from beneath the surface. It looks like it’s on fire from the inside and the air around them feels overly warm, Floyd notices.

The thing is immobile and of course Harley strolls forwards before anyone can catch her.

“Harley!” he growls but the woman ignores him, completely enthralled by the thing. Floyd doesn’t blame her exactly. The thing is beautifully strange, but Christ!

When Harley is a few feet from it and nothing happens, they all breath a sigh of relief and Floyd steps forward, Rick a reassuring presence at his side, with Boomerang and Croc taking the rear.

Of course that is the moment when something happens and the thing goes on fire. Harley yelps and jumps back and, fortunately, the flames don’t touch her.

When they go out, the thing is gone and a boy is lying, dirty and shivering, on the blackened ground.

The boy looks up at them, scared and trembling. His eyes have something familiar, but Floyd can’t place it.

“Chato?!” Harley exclaims excited, stepping forward. “Is that you?”

The boy jerks back and in an instant he’s surrounded by a wall of fire.

Floyd runs to Harley.

“Are you sure?” he asks and Harley nods, grim.

Floyd sighs and gestures back.

“Let me handle this.”

Harley wavers but in the end nods and follows his order.

When she’s reached the others, Floyd turns. The wall is lower, but still there. Chato’s eyes are peering at him, intently. Scared, Floyd realizes.

“Chato,” Floyd starts, calm and confident, with the same tone he uses to reassure Zoe after a nightmare. “I don’t know if you remember me-” _I don’t know if you are still you_ , “but I’m your friend. _We_ are your friends.” Floyd says gesturing back to the others. “We mean you no harm. Please, stop the fire.”

Chato observes him for a few moments, then looks behind Floyd. He wrinkles his nose funnily when he sees Croc and Floyd hopes to God the boy remembers because Croc hasn’t exactly the most reassuring and not threatening appearance.

After a few long moments, the flames go out, leaving Chato hunched on himself. _He is cold_ , Floyd realizes, and he quickly takes off his jacket, but doesn’t approach.

“I remember him.” Chato croaks, gesturing towards Croc. Well, Croc is quite hard to forget, Floyd guesses, but Chato has just come back to life, goddammit. If his previous Aztec god-like appearance hadn’t made it clear, Chato had never been a meta-human, but something else, something like the witch herself, perhaps. A phoenix, maybe, Floyd guesses, recalling the legends Zoe has always been fond of. Magic, Floyd thinks, is a headache.

“May I?” he asks, gesturing towards the jacket.

Chato’s expression is wary but he nods. Floyd kneels down in front of him, covering him with the jacket and massaging the boy’s shoulders to warm him.

The boy leans towards him. Seeking reassurance, probably, and Floyd is struck suddenly by the fact that this Chato, whatever he remembers, is still a child, looking no more then seven years old. He must be confused and frightened, despite what he can do to protect himself.

“Hey,” Floyd starts quietly. “What do you think about coming with us?”

The boy, eyes down, nods.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

**Author's Note:**

> The powerfulwitch asked for Chato Santana to appear, but even before I got the request, I wanted to bring him back to life. Fire has always been a symbol of rebirth and I thought that him coming back like a phoenix was a good idea. 
> 
> You can leave me prompt or ideas either by commenting here or asking on tumblr (romennim).


End file.
